Tile floor, wall, &amp;c.



No. 680,468. PatentedAug. |3, |90|.'

J. K. SIERER.

TILE FLOUR, WALL, &.c.

(Application filed Sept. 22, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

JOSEPH K. SIERER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TIL-E FLOOR, WALL, etc.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent- No. 680,468, dated August 13, 1901. Application filed September 22, 1900. Serial No. 30,787. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH K. SIERER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tile Floors, Walls, dsc. and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to tiles; and among the objects in View is to provide tiles for use in the construction of floors, walls, &c., which tiles will not be liable to spring out of shape or crack or open at the joints from any cause.

A further object is to provide a tile floor or wall composed of tiles which will be all of exactly similar shape and size, thus enabling me to cheapen the cost of production of the tiles, and consequently that of the floor or wall, over that of a fioor or wall wherein several difierent shapes and sizes of tiles are necessary.

With the above objects in view my invention consists in the novel construction of the tile,as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a tile constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 illustrates a portion of afioor or wall composed of my improved tiles. Fig. 3 is a plan View of a tile embodying a slight modification.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, A indicates my improved tile. While various materials may be used in the production of the tile, I preferably employ hard rubber, thereby producing a more or less elastic tile and enabling said tile to yield more or less to certain strains in use,thereby avoiding cracking, and besides, particularly in the case of floors, avoiding the noise and shocks incident to the usual vitrified tiles when walked upon.

For the purpose of affording a secure interlocking of the tiles in the construction of a floor or wall, thereby avoiding liability of the tiles springing out of place and opening at the joints, I construct each tile, as shown, with interlocking tongues and recesses.

The shape of the tongues and recesses may of course be varied to some extent, the essential idea being that the tongues of one tile will firmly interlock-or engage with the correspondingly-shaped recesses in the adjoining tiles.

I am aware that it has been proposed to construct a tile floor or wall wherein it is necessary to employ at leasttwo different shapes and sizes of tiles, one of the tiles having tongues, while the other tile has recesses to receive said tongues. My invention possesses the decided advantage over that just mentioned in that all of the tiles composing the floor or wall are of the same size-and shape, thus reducing the expense of producing the tiles originally, besides facilitating the construction of the floor or wall.

The tile A is provided at each edge with a projecting tongue or lip B and an inwardlyextending recess 0. As before stated, the shape of the tongue and recess may be somewhat varied; but for neatness and to enable the tiles to be more easily fitted together I prefer to give the tongues and recesses the curved or rounded and hook-like shape shown. When the tiles are fitted'together, the tongues B of one tile fit snugly within the recesses O of the adjacent tiles, thus afiording an extended locking-surface and providing a secure interlocking of the tiles to resist the usual strains incident to tile floors and walls.

The tongues and recesses at each edge of the tile might be relatively arranged closer to or farther apart; but I have found that where the tongues and recesses are somewhat far apart, as in Fig. 2, they give a better resistance to strains than where they are located very close together.

In Fig. 3 I show a slight modification in the construction of my tile wherein I show two opposite edges of the tile provided with the outwardly-projecting tongues 13, while the other edges are provided with the inwardlyprojecting recesses G. This construction is preferred when the tiles are made quite small.

If desired, any suitable construction of border tiles or strips may be used to give a finished appearance around the edges of the floor or Wall, said border tiles or strips being adapted to interlock with the outermost tiles composing the body of the floor or Wall; but this is not absolutely essential.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I 1. A tile fioor or wall comprising a series of tiles of exactly similar shape and size, each tile being provided on each of its abutting sides or edges with a tongue and a recess, the tongue and recess on each side of each individual tile being of exactly similar shape and size, the said tongues and recesses being of such shape that the tongues of one tile exactly fit into the correspondingly-shaped recesses of adjacent tiles and form an interlocking connection on all abutting sides of each tile.

2. A tile floor or Wall comprising a series of tiles of exactly similar shape and size, each tile being provided on each of its abutting sides or edges with a hook-shaped tongue and a hook-shaped recess, the tongue and recess on. each side of each individual tile being of exactly similar shape and size, whereby the tongues of one tile exactly fit into the correspondingly-shaped recesses of adjacent tiles and form an interlocking connection on all abutting sides of each tile. 7

3. A tile floor or wall comprising a series of square-shaped tiles, said tiles being exactly similar both as to shape and size, each tile being provided on each of its four abutting sides or edges with a tongue and recess, the tongue and recess on each side of each individual tile being of exactly similar shape and size, whereby the tongues of one tile will exactly fit into the correspondingly-shaped recesses of adjacent tiles and form an interlocking connection on all four sides of each tile.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH K. SIERER. 

